Abdirahman Koronto

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The first International theatrical play opens in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland.

It is Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor. The play will be performed by actors from UK-based Globe Theatre who are on a world tour.

Around 17 members of Globe Theatre have become the first to visit a Somali speaking city. But why Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland which declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991 and is yet to be internationally recognised? Dominic Dromgoole is the Director of the London based Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

“Because, we are taking a tour of Hamlet to every Country in the world and we already have travelled to 71 countries. And at the moment we are travelling to Africa and we had played in Many Countries, we’ve just been to Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti and now we are here in Hargeisa”. Domnic Dromgoole.

Hamlet is thought to be one the greatest plays of Shakespeare and is performed by a young man who is very troubled and has dreams of a different sort of future. So how is it relevant to an African audience? Here is Dominic Dromgoole again

“I think it is different in every country, but I think that Hamlet is somebody who is discontented in his own time and who is looking to the future. I think everywhere, whether we are in South America or Europe or Africa, (you know), there are people who are dreaming of a new future and I think that Hamlet speaks for them.” Dominic Dromgoole.

The play appears to be symbolic of the hopes and aspirations of Somaliland, which is still waiting, or dreaming even of recognition by the United Nations as a country in its own right. Perhaps that is why Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been warmly welcomed by Hargeisa residents. However, what is not yet known is if many of them would be able to comprehend the gist of the play which will all be performed in English.

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The top militant of Somalia’s al-Shabab, Zakariya Ahmed Ismail Hersi who gave himself up at the end of December, 2014, has today said he is no longer with the group and renounced violence at a press conference in Mogadishu. Somali government has welcomed what it called Zaki’s rejection of al-Shabab ideology. Abdirahman Koronto reports.

Zakariya has been in government hands since his abandonment of al-Shabab. He had not been seen publicly ever since. It is after a month now, that he appeared at Somali information Ministry in a Press conference. He made the following statement:

“I declare from today on I am not a member of al-Shabab. I will convey my views and ideas through peaceful means and reasoning. I have abandoned the use of violence and solving problem with the barrel of the gun …I call on and encourage my former friends in al-Shabab to come to their senses and allow reconciliation and use peaceful means because the movement is now in disarray and on its way to destruction.” Zakariya.

Al-Shabab has denied that Zakariya had been their member for the last two years. The group said for years he had been cooperating with foreign intelligence after running away from them.

The former senior al-Shabab intelligence officer, has said that he is a living proof that Somali government does honour the amnesty extended to those who renounce violence and terrorism. It is not clear if this can be taken for granted as he is still in the hands of Somali Government’s security Agency and it was under high security presence that he gave his statement.

Immediately after Zakariya’s press conference. The Out-going Information Minister Mustaf Dhuhulow, has said that “ the Information ministry is welcoming the statement by Zakariya in which he rejected the wrong ideology of al-Shabab and his reception of peace. We hope his heroic step will attract more al-Shabab members to join him in peace and reconciliation.” Mustaf Dhuhulow

Mr Hersi had been an important senior figure in al-Shabab’s Intelligence wing. And in June 2012, the US promised $3m for any information leading to his arrest.

His departure from al-Shabab came about four months since its leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a US air Strike.

The fact that Somali government is using Zakariya to draw in more al-Shabab operatives to give up and renounce violence may mean that the government is willing to extend its amnesty on Zakariya. However, it has not been clear in either statements that he is a free man now. Unofficial sources in the government have told the BBC that they working on ways of removing him from the US’s list of terror and the reward money on his arrest.

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Dhalinyaro, is the name of a new feature film which is under production in Djibouti directed by the first Djibouti’s first female director of conventional films.

The director of this film, Lula Ali Ismail’s says the film depicts the life of three young girls transitioning from Intermediate school to Secondary School.

“this is the time during the adolescence in Djibouti when young people face the stressful period of reaching a decision that could be life changing.” said Lula Ali Ismael.

She is planning to make factual films based on real people and real stories. However, she might be forced to dramatise a bit and not completely move away from fiction.

The film Dhalinyaro will receive funding from Lula’s current home country, Canada, together with her original home country Djibouti and France plus Senegal and the OIF (International Organisation of the Francophone). These countries and other investors are to provide the film’s budget estimated to be over one million dollars.

The Canadian-Djiboutian director has been encouraged by the success she made in producing her first film which she not only directed but also co-stared together with two other Djiboutian females. The short film LAAN came out of Lula’s adventure and desire to switch from her acting training in Montreal Canada after being regularly kept aside and only given undesirable roles.

“I was only given despicable roles such as being an important background actor, the maid, the street girl etc. I decided to impact on directing films of my own and that is how I ended up in directing Films in Djibouti acted by real Djiboutian actors”. Said Lula Ismail.

It is directed by Lula Ali is a young Djibouti young women who permanently resides in Montreal Canada. She went to acting school in order to address her shyness which she thought was not out-going and the shyness was hinderance to realize her dreams.

LAAN, LULA’s Short Film on

The short film LAAN is one of the first tri-lingual films that Djibouti has ever produced in recent years. In addition to the Somali and French language spoken by the actors within the film, there is also English language subtitling for non-speakers of those two languages.

The short film has addressed a subject that is considered to be a taboo to talk about. It is the Khat (green leaves chewed for stimulation) which had been traditionally consumed in Djibouti for centuries.

For Djibouti and Lula, this is embarking on a new road for a country now stretching itself to test its potential with major developments on the move including over 9 billion US dollar investment on several ports, roads and railway lines.

Lula told me she dreams of a future where Djibouti develops a high stander film industry and at least to be part of founders of such industry which is now under-developed in Djibouti, a country that has a population of less than a million.

The chief Judge of Banadir Regional Court, Hashi Elmi Nure ordered the two reporters and a radio director to be remanded in jail after being charged with defamation.

They are the director of Radio Shabelle, Abdimalik Yusuf, a reporter with the same media, Mohamed Bashir and the alleged female rape victim from another UN funded radio station in Mogadishu.

The director and the reporter of Shabelle are accused of fabricating a rape case with the female reporter who alleged that the government owned radio reporters raped her about six months ago.

A video surfaced on YouTube of the victim’s anecdote on alleged rape incident. The Shabelle reporter Mohamed Bashir can be heard in the video asking questions.

The alleged rapists filed a law suit saying that the incident is fabricated in order to defame them. The government reporters were not arrested.

The journalists were brought to court after almost a week in custody without charge.

UN Special representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay warned in a statement that “legal representation, proper investigation and media freedom (are) important issues.”

Somali presidential spokesman, Abdirahman Omar Osman said in a statement, “Somali has an independent judiciary and we must allow the police and judiciary to carry out their investigations. It is inappropriate for the government to get involved in the judicial process, as it is any other country.”

The issue is further complicated by the fact that radio Shabelle was closed after a raid by the government security forces who confiscated the station’s equipment accusing them to have been illegally occupying a government building.

Shabelle said in a statement they were never give enough notice to move out of the building.

In February this year, a Somali journalist and alleged rape victim he interviewed were both sentenced to a year in prison after being found guilty of “offending state institutions”.

But, the two were released after an international condemnation of the way the government treated the journalist.

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The American Secretary of State, John Kerry has said that the US Special Forces raids on Libya and Somalia demonstrate Washington’s determination to hunt down those responsible for acts of terrorism. On Saturday, US Navy commandos attacked a house in Somalia used al-Shabaab leaders. The group is linked to the attack on the Westgate Mall in Kenya. This is piece is a look back of US attacks in Somalia.

The raids come one day after the twentieth anniversary of the fighting in Mogadishu that became known as ‘Black Hawk Down’ which I witnessed myself as a Mogadishu resident in 1993.

The fighting which involved US elite troops from various divisions against the fighters of a former General turned warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed resulted in the death of 19 US Soldiers plus an unknown number of Somalis. At least hundreds, were killed in a fighting that continued for almost 24 hours which later involved several nations from the UNISOM mission in Somalia.

There are unconfirmed reports that US troops were on the ground in a fire fight near the Somali border with Kenya allegedly taking part in the Ethiopian operation in Somalia which ousted the then relatively powerful Union of Islamic Courts. The courts defeated Somalia’s warlords and captured large parts of South Central Somalia in 2006.

The second direct US attack in Somalia was the missile attack that wounded Adan Ayrow in 2007, but killed him in a further missile attack after a year, on May 2008. Adan Ayrow was the most senior Al-Shabab leader in Somalia at the time. He was trained in Afghanistan and was directly linked to Al-Qaeda.

In 2009, US Navy SEAL killed a Kenyan-born Al-Qaeda operative near the coastal town of Barawa using helicopter gunships. And this Saturday’s raid which comes two weeks after Westgate attack appears to be targeting the current Al-Shabab leader, Mukhtar Abu-zubeyr, real name Ahmed Godane. The house targeted in this raid was alleged used by him.

Many in Somalia believe America, still haunted by the incident in 1993, may be on a revengeful mission but, the US says it is determined to hold accountable those who conduct acts of terrorism and members of al-Qaeda. In the words of US Secretary of State, ‘they can run but they can’t hide’. It is increasing becoming clear that the US will continue to stage the targeted raids on terror-linked groups around the world in accordance with its declared war on terror.

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One militant fighter was killed in an attack on Somali coastal town of Brawa, a stronghold of al-Shabab. The group said their base was attacked by western troops who came with speedboats before Dawn. Witnesses said they could hear heavy gunfire and an explosion.

The coastal town raid comes at exactly two weeks after a shopping Mall attack in Kenya where 67 people were killed. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility of that attack.

However, it is not clear if there is a direct linkage between the two incidents, and there is not claim of responsibility.

According to Reuters, British and Turkish special forces had raided Brawa killing a fighter and added the attackers themselves lost a British officer.

British and Turkish sources separately denied any involvement.

Somali government spokesman told us they could not comment as they are still gathering information. Barawa town had been the stronghold of al-Shabab for many years. It is the second foreign attack around Barawa town since 2009.

In September that year, US Navy Commandos helicopters killed a Kenyan–born al-Qaeda commander Saleh Ali Nabhan. At the time he was one of three most wanted individuals said to be in Somalia and working with al-Shabab. The group’s spokesman Abdi-Aziz Abu-Mus’ab said the attackers achieved nothing but suffered casualties.

According to witnesses, this morning’s attack, which occurred around 2am, targeted a house that was not far from the beach frequented by armed militias from the al-Qaeda linked group.

French troops were also known to have been involved in attacks inside Somalia like the one in January this year. Two French commandos were killed in a failed mission to rescue an agent held in Bulo Marer town in Somalia.